Off-Shoring

The company I work for has recently “off-shored” a section of their work force. Some of them are actually proud of this, smiling happily about how much money they are saving. Most, however, see it as a necessary evil. It is required, they say, to compete in today’s market. After all, everyone else is doing it. It is the only way to be cost-effective.

At the same time I am hearing about this, the media is reporting rising unemployment and a faltering economy.

So here’s a thought: let’s stop sending our jobs to other countries.

No, I’m not being simplistic. I realize that it costs considerably more to hire Canadians than Indians or Mexicans. But think of the advertising possibilities: “We hire only in Canada!”, “Canadian jobs are safe with us”. In poor economic times, the goodwill would be tremendous.

I am sure I am not the only one who gets irritated when I have to call a 1-800 number for some company’s support line, and know that I am talking to an employee in a foreign country while our own unemployment rate climbs. Nor am I the only one who would support a company who decided to “Hire Canadian”, even if it cost me a bit more.

And if looking after our own is not enough, consider some of the foreign workers. For some this is a wonderful change, but for many it means slave wages and 80-hour weeks in sweat-shop conditions.

So if we don’t benefit, and the foreign workers don’t benefit, that leaves only one group: that’s right, big business. (My employer has given small numbers of shares in the company to many employees, in the belief that we will then support this type of move because it will benefit us.)

This is the problem when businesses become too large: they stop being something that help people, and instead people become simply tools to help the business. And we are so used to this that it doesn’t sound insane.

We need to turn this around. We need to convince those in positions of power to hire locally and help our economy, or we will go elsewhere. Stop shopping at Walmart. Let Bell know you want homegrown tech support. We have the power to make businesses “hire Canadian” – if only we are willing to use it.